Dispatches from the Reviews Editor
Charles has been in tech publishing since the late 1980s, starting with Reed's Practical Computing, then moving to Ziff-Davis to help launch the UK version of PC Magazine in 1992. ZDNet came looking for a Reviews Editor in 2000, and he's been here ever since.
These days, Wi-Fi connectivity — preferably free — is expected as a matter of course in a wide variety of environments. However, the traditional approach to widespread Wi-Fi coverage, employing multiple access points (APs) and WLAN controllers, requires an equally large number of cable runs and Ethernet ports — all of which adds to the cost and complexity of an installation.
We recently ran a review of Lenovo's ThinkPad Tablet, a 10.1in.
Earlier this week I met with Tony Jephcott, CEO of data capture specialist Blackroc Technology, and Jonathan Brayshaw from Psion, on whose modular Workabout Pro 3 handheld Blackroc's new Procyon device is based. The Procyon's claim to fame is that it's the first handheld GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) device that, when suitably configured, can deliver 'pinpoint' (1-2cm) accuracy.
There is much talk of a 'post-PC' world in which smartphones, tablets and other digital devices take centre stage. Be that as it may, the PC-centred world is currently suiting Lenovo just fine: the company has recently overtaken Dell to take the number-two spot in worldwide PC sales behind HP.
Fluke Networks has announced the OptiView XG Network Analysis Tablet, a 10.25in.
In addition to the headline-grabbing announcements concerning Polycom's purchase of HP's Halo business and the formation of the OVCC (Open Visual Communications Consortium), the videoconferencing company yesterday outlined the next stage in its partnership with Microsoft.In a webcast, CEO Andrew Miller announced a product codenamed Rally, a 'purpose-built' room-based telepresence solution with an embedded Microsoft Lync client.
Seagate has announced a portable Wi-Fi-equipped hard drive, the GoFlex Satellite, which is designed to act as a wireless media hub for storage-limited tablets and smartphones. Officially unveiled today, the GoFlex Satellite won't be available at UK and European retail outlets until mid-August.
Swedish eye-tracking and eye control specialist Tobii Technology visited ZDNet UK today to show off a prototype system built into a Lenovo notebook.The ability for a computer to track a user's eye movements, and for the user to control aspects of computer operation using eye gestures, has obvious value in situations where the hands are otherwise occupied (a surgeon in a hospital, for example) or are disabled in some way.
If you're looking for a convenient and flexible external USB hard disk, Seagate has just launched what it claims is the slimmest available: the GoFlex Slim.At just 9mm thick and (for those with long enough memories) about the same footprint as a PalmPilot PDA (see below), the 160g GoFlex Slim's understated anodised chassis contains a 2.
These two pictures are not faked in any way. They show an iPhone and an iPad running Windows 7.